September 17, 2026 | 08:49 AM

Gretchen Reynolds

Articles by Gretchen Reynolds

Why your smartwatch is so bad at telling you how many calories you burned - The Washington Post

Technology September 22, 2026

Your smartwatch may not be lying to you about how many calories you burn when exercising. But its almost certainly exaggerating, according to an eye-opening new study. Scientists asked 58 men and w�...

Column | 3 minutes vs. 90 minutes: Which workout is better for your health? - The Washington Post

Health September 10, 2026

Three minutes of intense exercise may have more beneficial impacts on our physiology and health than 90 minutes of more moderate exertion. That idea could soundfar-fetched. But in a groundbreaking �...

Walking an extra 1,000 steps a day may help your heart, study finds - The Washington Post

Technology September 9, 2026

If youd like to protect your heart, walk an extra 1,000 steps today, especially if you have high blood pressure. Thats the conclusion of an important recent study of step counts and heart health.

Column | The muscle ability you lose fastest with age — and how to preserve it - washingtonpost.com

Health September 4, 2026

You may be losing power right now, at least in your muscles. Thats because our muscles begin shedding power as we age, a process that typically begins in our 40s and accelerates in later decades.

Column | The muscle ability you lose fastest with age — and how to preserve it - The Washington Post

Health September 3, 2026

You may be losing power right now, at least in your muscles. Thats because our muscles begin shedding power as we age, a process that typically begins in our 40s and accelerates in later decades.

Column | 10 minutes of super-slow running can benefit your brain and mood - The Washington Post

Health August 27, 2026

Are you, like me, a slow, plodding runner? Congratulations. You may be doing your brain a favor, a new study finds.

Column | Here’s how workplace activity may affect dementia risk - The Washington Post

Health August 22, 2026

Exercise is one of the healthiest things we can do for ourselves and our brains. Most science shows that even a few minutes a day of physical activity generally contribute to lower risks for dementia�...

Column | 3 minutes of this activity may cut the risk of 13 cancers, study finds - The Washington Post

Health August 13, 2026

To reduce your risks for at least 13 types of cancer, jog up and down the nearest steps for three minutes or stand up fromyour desk or couch for 30. Either strategy might help drop your risks of cer�...

Column | Fast walkers in their 80s have half the risk of cognitive decline - The Washington Post

Health August 6, 2026

Heres why you should be a super mover when you get older. Super movers, defined by scientists as someone who is able to walk significantly faster than most of their aging peers, are about half as li�...

Column | Here’s what an expert on accidental falls does every day to prevent them - The Washington Post

Health July 23, 2026

A single fall can define how well age, representing a key inflection point in later life, according to a study of 2,454 men and women ages 65 or older, published this month in the Journal of the Amer�...